Tim Mahon asked for recommendations for Saint-Saens' 3rd.
My first encounter with this was Paul Paray's Mercury account which still
sounds fine, and the organ entry is suitably portentous. The coupling
is Paray's own Mass which is OK but is not an easy work to love. The
Barenboim/Chicago version from the 70s on DG Galleria is very satisfying
and I've never been all that worried that the organ part was added later.
The couplings are short and minor S-S. Martinon's ORTF version (EMI) is
different again and has the distinct advantage of being coupled with the
other four symphonies on a bargain 2-CD set. And then there's...
Richard Pennycuick
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